A very special Virginia Flake, created to celebrate the exceptional tobaccos of the United States of America. Red, Lemon and Orange Virginias, aged through summer sweats for over five years, then hard-pressed in cakes to age again, to mellow and marry and form this rich, bold tobacco long sought after by devoted flake smokers.

Notes: Originally introduced in December, 1993 for the Greater Kansas City Pipe Club, is now part of the Club Blends Series.

It's as simple as this," McClelland does great Virginias and this is one of their best". A touch of Mc Vinegar, gives a sweet & sour taste and stays the entire pipe ( agree with reviewer, "DK" ,below in that it has the sour touch like Perique, but without the pepper). Very flavorful, interesting and doesn't get ashy. It's closest comparison is, "Blackwoods Flake", but lighter color and less prep time. This blend is smooth with no bite. I'll smoke this anytime of day

I'm not much of a Virginia Flake type of guy (so far), but I was very pleasantly surprised with this tobacco. I rubbed it out & let it dry for about 30 minutes & I was rewarded with an easy packing, clean burning, very flavorful blend that I'll definitely be seeking out again. I agree with others that it has a slight Perique type flavor without the pepper blast. Very refined, with a light fruitiness & great matured Virginia flavors. Highly recommended.

There was a recent discussion on a pipe forum regarding all of the various Club Blends that McClellands has re-introduced and how they could all be different. I've smoked several and find them all to have different characteristics and tastes. This one is one of the finest.

As the previous reviewer mentioned, this is similar looking in the tin to Epitome. But there the similarity ends. Where Epitome was very good but subdued, this one is boisterous in its flavor profile. A rich tasting, medium bodied smoke with a spiciness that made me wonder if they had forgotten to mention the perique. No stewed fruit or pepper flavor/tingle but an excellent spicy flavor with a sweet and mellow background. No overemphasis on the lemon virginia. This one tasted not too dissimilar to a broken flake version of Rich Virginia Ribbon, which is also a staple for me. Epitome and Quantum were fairly middle of the road and I can't find a place for Aurora, but this one hits my tastebuds dead center. Very assertive in a non-confrontational way, excellent tasting, clean burning, mild nicotine and that wonderful McClellands matured virginia scent. This is highly recommended for all VA lovers. Don't pass this one by!

This is a wonderful lighter va/per than my Saint James Woods (my main smoke). It's a palette cleanser smoke. The flavor is a lemony rich virginia with a dash of perique hiding in the background. It's a very light but complex virginia flavor. Mine came dry which is odd for McClelland. Doesn't really matter though. Awesome smoke. You can't go wrong with this if it's your thing. It's a mild to medium virginia flake with a pinch of perique. Mild to Medium in the nicotine department.

This is a small cut flake (McC style) that is very similar in color to Epitome, a medium brown perhaps slightly darker. This is not as well rounded as Epitome but still extremely good with a slightly sharp taste that is very alluring. This should age very well. Great for the Virginia lover!

12-7-10 UPDATE: Just opened another tin and I was right it has aged magnificently. A deep rich virginia that merits cellaring several tins.

More nicely prepared Va flakes from McC; these are ~ 1/8" thick and very densely compacted dark brown, orange to yellow tobaccos. Not much of the McC ketchup smell from the tin but still inviting. Much drier from the tin than other McC flakes but still smokes cool and smooth. I don't rub out my flakes and the thickness/density of these flakes required numerous relights and reduced the smoke intensity. BulkVAs and VA/Pers from McC and others are just as good with a cheaper unit cost.

I guess I'll finally throw in the towel on this one and promise to get back if something changes for the better.

The tin of Boston 1776 used for the review had 3 years on it, which I hoped would make the aged tobacco inside even better. Presentation is dense, separated flakes about the consistency of the average fruitcake, with a look and feel that suggests it is dryer than other flakes I am accustomed to smoke straight from the tin. Tin note is mostly aged, pressed VA, sweetened and subtly rich, with a spice medley that I kept sniffing until I came up with apple pie spices, including ginger.

And now, A Tale of Two Tobaccos: Lighting this tobacco and keeping it lit has been an adventure. I suppose the humectant is propylene glycol, but whatever it is, it hasn't worked for me so far. If I dry it out, the best part of it disappears. If I smoke it near original moisture, it hardly burns. One way or the other, I cannot simply fold, twist and stuff a flake, but I am stuck rubbing it out, drying it, and then rubbing some more, then packing it very loosely. No matter what I've done, I've had to re-light often.

Smoked near "tin-wet", B1776 is rich, quite sweet, and the spices make for a fairly heady, exotic smoke, right from the match. The ginger is like Perique without the pepper or sour figs, and there does seem to be just a dash of Perique, too. When it's burning well, there is plenty of rich, aromatic smoke. Basically, the aroma parallels the taste. Nothing changes much, re-light after re-light, as it is smoked down, except the best of the aroma and taste slightly concentrate. Aftertaste is brief spent campfire, quickly followed by the sweetened VA, followed by a spices redux.

Dried out for some time in my dry air, I still have to struggle to light it and keep it burning. The VA is prominent, less sweet, with a mild Perique chaser. Spices are MIA, except the faintest ginger. Aroma is like a mild VaPer with scant Per.

Maybe I have to just bite the bullet and dry this out overnight, or something, in order to actually smoke it. In that case, however, I suppose it would not be nearly so exceptional as the McC blurb about 5-year-old VA and sweat processing suggests.

This sample was given to me by a good friend in my online tobacco club. This sample burned ok out of the pouch, produced a moderate amount of smoke and minimal tongue bite. This had a taste of hay and smelled of caramelizing sugar, but there wasnt too much more to it...which is ok since many VAs can be singular in taste and aroma. Glad I had the chance to try a new VA...thanks friend.